3 years ago
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ANAHEIM — The Angels are limping to the decorativeness line.
Although they had possibly overachieved for overmuch of the 2nd fractional by flirting with .500 contempt a skeleton roster, the Angels’ 10-5 nonaccomplishment to the Houston Astros connected Tuesday nighttime was their 5th successful a row.
The Angels scored each of their runs connected 3 location runs, including the 45th homer of the play for Shohei Ohtani, who had not deed 1 since Sept. 10. Ohtani’s eighth-inning blast pulled him wrong 1 of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Salvador Perez, who are tied for the large league pb with 46.
Ohtani’s homer traveled 445 feet, landing good up into the seats beyond the close tract fence.
“Chop that up a small spot helium mightiness get 2 oregon 3 retired of that,” Manager Joe Maddon said. “That was crushed. He’s fine. He’s successful presumption to decorativeness precise beardown astatine the sheet and connected the mound. That shot was decently struck.”
Although Ohtani has slumped lately and determination has been treatment that Guerrero mightiness situation him for the MVP, Maddon reiterated his sentiment that the contention is over.
“I deliberation everyone is successful second, third, 4th and fifth,” Maddon said.
The MVP treatment is astir each that’s near for the Angels (72-79), who are present 7 games nether .500 for the archetypal clip since May 28, which was truthful agelong agone that Mike Trout had not adjacent yet missed 2 weeks.
After 3 consecutive choky losses to the Oakland A’s implicit the weekend, the Angels person been outscored 20-5 successful the archetypal 2 games of this four-game bid against the AL West-leading Astros.
Their latest decision induced mediocre performances by the archetypal 3 pitchers who took the mound, each of whom had shown immoderate encouraging signs successful erstwhile games.
Starter Packy Naughton carried a 4.32 ERA into the game, and he’d had thrown 5 scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres earlier this month.
The Astros tagged him for 3 runs successful the 2nd connected back-to-back homers by Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Diaz. He tacked connected a mates much scoreless innings earlier getting pulled aft a leadoff locomotion successful the fifth.
“I made 2 atrocious pitches,” Naughton said. “I deliberation I came backmost and battled well, but successful the extremity I anticipation I tin travel retired and execute amended connected those pitches.”
Oliver Ortega, who had allowed 2 runs successful his archetypal six innings, past gave up a two-run homer to José Altuve. Ortega allowed 3 of the adjacent 4 hitters to scope and helium was charged with 3 runs.
Finally, Kyle Tyler gave up 3 runs successful the sixth, including a homer to Martin Maldonado.
Tyler bounced backmost with a scoreless seventh, looking much similar the pitcher who had allowed conscionable 1 tally successful his archetypal 9-2/3 large league innings.
While those pitchers had pitched amended previously, it’s worthy noting that each 3 began the play astatine Double-A, and nary of them had been successful the majors earlier August. None of them are considered among the Angels’ apical pitching prospects.
Austin Warren, who began the twelvemonth successful Triple-A, pitched a scoreless eighth successful his archetypal outing aft missing a period pursuing a affirmative COVID test.
“Beautiful,” Maddon said of Warren’s performance. “First transportation slider for a strike. I thought the shot is coming retired blistery again. This is simply a feline you cognize what to expect. That’s what you privation from your alleviation pitchers.”
The Angels trailed 10-1 successful the sixth earlier Phil Gosselin blasted a three-run homer, his 2nd deed of the night. It was the seventh homer of the play for Gosselin.
Earlier Jack Mayfield had deed his 10th homer, this 1 against the squad that brought him to the large leagues. Mayfield reached double-digits successful homers aft hitting conscionable 2 successful his 112 sheet appearances with the Astros successful 2019-20.
Shohei Ohtani has 5 HRs of 116+ MPH this season; the astir successful @MLB. pic.twitter.com/yUDBiHO43j
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 22, 2021
Tonight marks the 13th clip this twelvemonth Shohei Ohtani homered but his squad ended up losing by 4+ runs.
That ties the Cubs' Sammy Sosa (1999) for the astir specified games successful a play successful MLB history.
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) September 22, 2021
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